Locked wall panel joint with fastener



Dec. 28, 1965 R. s. GREGOIRE 3,225,504

LOCKED WALL PANEL JOINT WITH FASTENER Filed Aug. 25, 1962 F/a 8A. 24

RESTA S. GREGOIRE ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,225,504 LOCKED WALLPANEL JOINT WITH FASTENER Resta S. Gregoire, Dillsburg, Pa., assignor toGregoire Engineering and Development Company Filed Aug. 23, 1962, Ser.No. 218,990 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-509) This is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Serial No. 194,339, filed May 14, 1962.

This invention relates to self interlocking sheet panel strips for wallconstruction and hidden mounting means therefor.

The object of the present invention is to provide lengthwise rigidity tothe panel strips not only by internally protruding ridges of triangularsection on the inner face of said strips, but also by either curved orangular corrugations of various suitable forms.

A further object is to :devise hidden fastening means for these panelswhen mounting the successive panels on suitably spaced wall supports,thus providing the necessary rigid backing for the panel stripscrosswise thereof.

A further object is to devise a form of panel strip providing maximumheat reflection outwardly and minimum heat radiation inwardly of thepanel strips, so as to inherently provide maximum heat insulation forwalls exposed to the sun in hot climates.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the followingdetailed description of several modifications of panel strips of sheetmaterial corrugated or ridged lengthwise to provide longitudinalrigidity, and means for fastening them on crosswise extending supportsto provide them with lateral rigidity, as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end view in perspective of a panel strip formedsubstantially as disclosed in the copending application, above referredto,

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of angularly corrugatedpanel strip,

FIG. 3 shows a further modification of angular corrugation,

FIG. 4 is a modification showing a curvular corrugation,

FIG. 5 shows a modification combining substantially triangular groovesflanked by cylindrically curved depressions facing the outer face of thepanel strip,

FIG. 6 is an end view of a joint between two panel strips showing afastener clip nailed to a wooden support beam on which the panel stripsare mounted,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of this fastener clip,

FIG. 8 shows a side view of a modified fastening means, and

FIG. 8A shows a top view thereof.

The panels disclosed herein include the edge conformations similar tothose shown in the copending application, to form the same type ofsimple self-locking and sealing joint between successive panel strips.Several new modifications of the panel configuration between theseedges, however, are here disclosed, which provide the longitudinalrigidity to the panel strips by corrugations of various forms.

As before disclosed, the opposite edges of a panel strip are providedwith cooperating edge formations to form a joint between successivepanel strips in a wall. One of the edge formations is a substantiallytriangular groove 2 extending inwardly from the inner face of the panelstrip, such as 4 in FIG. 1, 6 in FIG. 2, 8 in FIG. 3, 10 in FIG. 4, or12 in FIG. 5, the triangular groove having one side 14 extendinginwardly with reference to the inner face of the panel strip andsomewhat outwardly of the panel strip at an obtuse angle, the base ofthe triangular groove extending from the outer end of said one side,around a lobe 16 outwardly of said base, which is substantially parallelto the panel strip, then around another similar lobe 18 at the other endof said base to the outer end of the other side 20 of the triangulargroove which has its upper or front end joining the outer face of thepanel strip adjacent to the edge of the outer face of the panel stripbut spaced therefrom normally the thickness of the panel sheet to permitpassage of the other of the edge formations 22 of an adjoining panelstrip. This other edge formation is an angular tongue or extension ofthe other edge of the adjoining panel strip bent rearwardly at an obtuseangle to the panel substantially complementary to the acute angle atwhich the side 20 of the triangular groove joins the face of its panel,said extension 22 being adapted for insertion into said triangulargroove and interlocking therewith, so that as the adjoining panel stripsare brought into alignment, a leverage pressure at two points of contactbetween the edge formations at 26 and 28 provides a double seal in thejoint between the panel strips.

The inner sides of the outer lobe 16 are depressed close to the base ofthe triangle in the present instance, to provide a ridge and groove,over which the clip fastener 30 may be nailed by nail 32 to a woodensupport beam 34 in mounting each panel strip in place before installingthe next one, which hides the fasteners on the preceding panel strip.

The walls thus formed may be used without any lining for insulation orfor decorative purposes, or suitable linings may be used between or overthe ridges as may be desired, with possible provision for ventilationthrough the passages formed between the ridges or corrugations, asdescribed in pending application Serial No. 200,682 filed June 7, 1962,entitled Panel Building Structure and Assembly.

A modified nail structure 24 having a lug 36 extending from its head maybe used for fastening more firmly over the ridge of the lobe 16 in placeof the clip fastener 30 and nail 32.

The form of panel strips shown in FIG. 1 provide a substantiallycontinuous plain surface interrupted only by very narrow spacings at theopen apexes of the triangular ridges and joints extending inwardly fromthe inner face of the panel strip, to permit thermal expansion of theadjacent panels without buckling, as already described in the pendingapplications.

The forms of panels illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5 are modifications whichpresent more open grooves in the face of the panels, thus using somewhatless material per square foot of wall without sacrificing longitudinalrigidity for the same thickness of wall. At the same time, the differentforms of grooves provide not only a choice of apperance, but also aselectivity of size and spacing of functional grooves, providing more orless concentration and direction in narrow grooves such as 50 in FIG. 3or wide grooves such as 52 in FIG. 2, and 54 in FIG. 4, for drainageflow over inclined walls.

The form shown in FIG. 5 furthermoreprovides arcuately curved reflectingsurfaces 56, not only to reduce absorption of heat into the wall butalso to reduce radiation inwardly of the wall of the heat that has beenabsorbed, by radiating it fanwise, thus reducing its concentration.

Many other obvious modifications in the form and details of the severalparts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A locked wall sheet panel joint and fastener com- 3 4 bination formounting panel strips in successive joined shoulder of said other lobeto anchor said joint relation onto a wall support, comprising againstsaid wall support.

a pair of wall sheet panel strips each having a terminal 2. A joint andfastener combination as defined in claim elongated edge formation, 1,the outside side wall of the triangle having an outone of said edgeformations being seated within the 5 Wardly turned ledge at its freeterminal end with its outer other of said formations and locking thestrips toedge biased against the inner face of the base of said getherwith their adjoining outer faces substantially tongue to provide asecond line-contact pressure seal in coplanar, said joint. the other ofsaid edge formations being a substantially 3. A joint and fastenercombination as defined in triangular groove extending inwardly from saidouter claim 1, faces, the inside and outside side walls of said trisaidfastener means being a nail with an extension from angular groovediverging from an open apex in the its head and driven into said wallsupport next to plane of said outer faces towards the base of saidtrisaid joint so that said head extension clamps over angle, andextending further apart near both ends of said outwardly directedshoulder to anchor said joint the base to define hollow lobes adjoinedthereto, said to said wall support without puncturing said joint.

base being substantially parallel to said outer faces and being anchoredto said wall support, one of said References Clted by the Exammer lobesdefining an inwardly directed shoulder within UNITED STATES PATENTS saidgroove and part of the inside side wall connect- 441,227 11 /1390 Cary,

ing the base to its respective strip, the other of said 614,294 11/ 1398Dem01'e lobes defining an exterior outwardly directed sholfl- 877,639 1/1908 Galbraith 52531 der on the outside side wall which has a freeterrni- 1,131 934 5/1916 S ith,

Hal end at Said 013611 apex, 1,583,969 5/ 1926 Greenstreet 52-531 saidone of said edge formations being an angular 1,676,043 7/1923 Olsson 52531 tongue extending inwardly from the outer face of its 1 699,0741/1929 L k respective stri through said open apex and having 1,714,6825/1929 Loucks 52-478 a reversely turned lip at the end Of Said tongueIeSiI- 1,784,368 12/ 1930 Loucks 52519 iently pressing against saidinwardly directed shoul- 1, 7 ,597 9/1932 Bennett 52 520 der on theinside side wall of said triangular edge 2,128,495 8/1938 Murphy 52520formation, forming a line-contact pressure seal in 2, 42,237 7/1953Paulssen 52 537 said joint and locking said strips together, the free2,348,758 8/1958 Chisholm 52-364 end of said outside side wall of thetriangle being FOREIGN PATENTS biased against the inner face of the baseof said tongue, and

fastener means fixed to said wall support having hea-d portionsextending over the outwardly directed 160,347 12/1954 Australia.

EARL J. WIT MER, Primary Examiner.

1. A LOCKED WALL SHEET PANEL JOINT AND FASTENER COMBINATION FOR MOUNTINGPANEL STRIPS IN SUCCESSIVE JOINED RELATION ONTO A WALL SUPPORT,COMPRISING A PAIR OF WALL SHEET PANEL STRIPS EACH HAVING A TERMINALELONGATED EDGE FORMATION, ONE OF SAID EDGE FORMATIONS BEING SEATEDWITHIN THE OTHER OF SAID FORMATIONS AND LOCKING THE STRIPS TOGETHER WITHTHEIR ADJOINING OUTER FACES SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR, THE OTHER OF SAIDEDGE FORMATIONS BEING A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR GROOVE EXTENDINGINWARDLY FROM SAID OUTER FACES, THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE WALLS OF SAIDTRIANGULAR GROOVE DIVERGING FROM AN OPEN APEX IN THE PLANE OF SAID OUTERFACES TOWARDS THE BASE OF SAID TRIANGLE, AND EXTENDING FURTHER APARTNEAR BOTH ENDS OF THE BASE TO DEFINE HOLLOW LOBES ADJOINED THERETO, SAIDBASE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID OUTER FACES AND BEING ANCHOREDTO SAID WALL SUPPORT, ONE OF SAID LOBES DEFINING AN INWARDLY DIRECTEDSHOULDER WITHIN SAID GROOVE AND PART OF THE INSIDE SIDE WALL CONNECTINGTHE BASE TO ITS RESPECTIVE STRIP, THE OTHER OF SAID LOBES DEFINING ANEXTERIOR OUTWARDLY DIRECTED SHOULDER ON THE OUTSIDE SIDE WALL WHICH HASA FREE TERMINAL END AT SAID OPEN APEX, SAID ONE OF SAID EDGE FORMATIONSBEING AN ANGULAR TONGUE EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE OUTER FACE OF ITSRESPECTIVE STRIP THROUGH SAID OPEN APEX AND HAVING A REVERSELY TURNEDLIP AT THE END OF SAID TONGUE RESILIENTLY PRESSING AGAINST SAID INWARDLYDIRECTED SHOULDER ON THE INSIDE SIDE WALL OF SAID TRIANGULAR EDGEFORMATION, FORMING A LINE-CONTACT PRESSURE SEAL IN SAID JOINT ANDLOCKING SAID STRIPS TOGETHER, THE FREE END OF SAID OUTSIDE WALL OF THETRIANGLE BEING BIASED AGAINST THE INNER FACE OF THE BASE OF SAID TONGUE,AND FASTENER MEANS FIXED TO SAID WALL SUPPORT HAVING HEAD PORTIONSEXTENDING OVE THE OUTWARDLY DIRECTED SHOULDER OF SAID OTHER LOBE TOANCHOR SAID JOINT AGAINST SAID WALL SUPPORT.